Switching devices



C 30, 1956 F. R. WERNER ET AL 2,769,041

SWITCHING DEVICES Filed June l5, 1955 INVENTORS FRANK R. WERNER RICHARD C. SCHWINN BY M s THEIR ATTORN YS United States Patent O SWITCHING DEVICES Application June 19553, Serial N 361,596 9 Claims. (Cl. 20D- 6) Ohio, National Cash Register Company, a corporation of Maryland This invention relates to switching devices and in particular to a switching device which is differentially settable to control circuits according to its position and which is rugged in its construction and easy and reliable in its operation.

In the past, switching devices of the wafer type have been made with a flat resilient wiper which is urged into contact with stationary contacts and is moved relatively thereto to selectively control circuits, but this type of switch did not have very good wearing qualities and would soon lose its contact-making ability.

The novel switch includes a plurality of spring-pressed contact-making elements mounted radially in spaced relation about a rotor and engaging contacts embedded in the periphery of the rotor to provide the desired selective switching according to the position of the rotor. The shape and location of the contacts in the periphery of the rotor can produce the type of switching which may be desired. The spring-pressed elements are formed with round rotor-engaging portions, vand the periphery of the rotor is ground smooth, so that there is very little drag on the rotor as it is moved relatively to the springpressed elements and very little wear and tear on the spring-pressed elements and the rotor when the rotor is moved to its various settings as the switch is operated. This novel construction produces a switch which not only is easy to operate but will stand up under repeated operations much better than the wafer type of switch.

The use of the spring-pressed elements and the rotors with different contact arrangements in their peripheries facilitates the assembling of the switches to do different kinds of switching jobs.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel switching device which is easy to operate and which is reliable in its operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switching device which is rugged and will produce reliable switching even after many operations.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel switch which can be changed from one type of switching job to another merely by changing from a rotor having one contact arrangement thereon to a rotor having another contact arrangement.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, preferred forms or embodiments of which are hereinafter described with reference to the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification.

Of the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the switching device showing means for mounting the device and means for operating the rotor of the device.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken through the rotor and stator of the switching device along the line 2 2 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a section through the bushing portion of a contact on the stator.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the rotor and stator of the switching device with portions broken away to show the construction of certain of the parts more clearly.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section through the rotors and stator of a duplex or double-level type of the novel switching device.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the periphery of the stator of the duplex or double-level type of switching device, showing in particular the staggered relation between the two sets of contacts in the stator.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a rotor which may be used with the same stator as shown in Fig. 4 but which provides a different kind of switching control.

Detailed description The embodiment of the device which is shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4 is of the single-level type and enables a circuit from a common contact to be switched selectively to any one of a plurality of contacts merely by the differential operation of the device.

The switching device includes a stator or stationary annular member 20, of non-conducting material, in which a plurality of contacts are mounted radially, and includes a rotor 21, which rotates within the annular member and has contacts along its periphery which selectively cooperate with the inner ends of the contacts on the annular member.

The contacts on the annular member 29 include a common contact, C, and a plurality of contacts, identified as O to 9, which are spaced at predetermined angular positions a degrees apart around the annular member, each of the contacts 0 to 9 being separated from adjacent contacts by a or thirty-degree angles, and the common contact, C, being separated from the 0 and 9 contacts by t+1/2a or forty-vedegree angles.

The contacts on the annular member 2t) are of similar construction, so that a description of one will suiiice for all. The contact includes a bushing 24, which extends radially through the annular member to a point just short of its inner surface. The bushing is formed with a spring-receiving bore 25, which communicates with a smaller-diameter bore 26 at the inner end, the different diameters of the bores 25 and 26 providing a shoulder 27. The outer end of the bore 25 is threaded to receive a spring-retaining plug 28.

A spring-urged contact-making element 29, having an enlarged head portion 30 and a reduced portion, is mounted in the bushing 24, with the enlarged portion 36 in the spring-receiving bore 25 and the reduced portion in the bore 26. The end of the contact-making element which makes contact with the periphery of the rotor is rounded as shown.

A spring 31, compressed between the enlarged portion 30 and the plug 28, urges the contactmaking element 29 inwardly until the portion 30 engages the shoulder 27.

The plug 28 carries a screw 32, by which circuit connections can be made to the contact.

The rotor 21 is made of non-conducting material and has contacts embedded in its periphery, which periphery, including the contacts therein, is polished to present a smooth surface to the rounded ends of the contact-making elements 29. The arrangement of the contacts in the type of rotor shown in Fig. 4 is the same as that of the contacts in the stator and includes a contact 35 and a group of ten contacts 36. The contact 35 is spaced @t+1/2a or forty-tive degrees from the end contacts 36 of the group, and the contacts of the group are spaced a or thirty degrees apart. The contact 35 and the contacts 36 are electrically connected together by bands 37 and 38, which are riveted thereto.

As shown in Fig. 4, the spacing of the contacts about the rotor is such that, when the contact 35 on the rotor engages the contact on the stator, the end contact 36 of the group engages the common contact C, and'all the other contacts 36 of the group lie between the contacts l through 9 on the stator. ln this position of the switch, only the contact will be connected to the common or C Contact. If the rotor is moved thirty degrees counter-clockwise (Fig. 4) to engage the contact 35 with the l contact, then the second Contact 36 of the group will engage the C contact, and the other contacts of the group will be out of engagement with the other contacts 0 and 2 through 9. In this position of the switch, only the "1 contact is connected to the common contact C.

Similarly, in each of the other positions of the rotor in which the contact 35 engages one of the contacts 2 through 9, one of the contacts 36 o the group will engage the common contact C, and the particular contact engaged by contact 35 will be connected to the common contact C.

Accordingly, by positioning the rotor to engage the contact 35 with the desired one of the stator contacts 0 to 9, the circuit from contact C can be switched to this stator contact.

The means for mounting the rotor 2l in the stator 20 will now be considered. The rotor forms a part of a rotor assembly which includes a rotor-actuating gear 40 secured to a grooved sleeve 41, on which are assembled, in order, a retaining plate 42 of insulating material, which ts closely against one side of the stator a spacer ring 43; the rotor 21, which is formed with a tongue 44, which ts in the groove in the sleeve 41 and couples the rotor to the sleeve for rotation thereby; a spacer ring 45; and another retaining plate 46, which engages the other side of the stator. The rotor assembly is inserted in the stator before the retaining plate 46 is placed on the sleeve, and the plate 46 is then put in place and the assembly is held together and in place in the stator by a clip 47, which ts in a slot in the sleeve. The rotor assembly is inserted in the stator before the retaining plate 46 is placed on the sleeve, and the plate 46 is then put in place and the assembly is held together and in place in the stator by a clip 47, which fits in a slot in the sleeve. The engagement of the retaining plates 42 and 46 with the opposite sides of the stator maintains the rotor assembly in place in the switch. These plates, together with the spacer rings 43 and 45, also assure proper alinement of the rotor with the contacts in the stator.

It is to be noted that, when the rotor is in place in the stator, the contact-making elements 29 are forced outwardly a slight distance to move their enlarged head portions 30 out of engagement with the shoulders 27 in the bushings. This enables elements 29 to be yieldingly urged into engagement with the periphery of the rotor by the springs 31.

One form of means for mounting the switching device and its actuator is shown in Fig. l. A pair of side frames, only one of which is shown at 50, are provided and may be attached to any convenient portion of the apparatus 5i with which the switching device is to be used. Three supporting rods, 52, 53, and 54, are carried in spaced relation by the side frames, as 50, and support the stator and rotor of the switching device.

The stator is secured to a mounting bracket 55 by means of four lugs 56 (Fig. l), which are molded on the stator and which extend through corresponding openings in the bracket and are riveted over to maintain the stator in place on the bracket. T he mounting bracket is provided with upper and lower hubs 57, through which the rods 52 and 54 extend, which hubs 57 are provided with set screws 58, by which the mounting bracket 55 can be secured in proper position along the rods.

The rod 53 extends through the sleeve 41 of the rotor assembly and provides a bearing about which the rotor can be rotated.

The apparatus 5?., with which the switching device is associated, is provided with means to rotate the rotor assembly, and in Fig. l this is shown as a gear segment 59, which may be given different predetermined extents of movement to move the contact 35 into engagement with the desired one of the contacts O to "9 in the stator according to the switching desired.

Switching devices of this type having easy-operating and long-wearing characteristics have been made by molding the stator of nylon and by making the bushings 24 and the plugs 28 of brass and the contact-making elements 29 of beryllium copper, and by molding the rotor Of nylon with a larger diameter than desired and with beryllium copper disks molded tangential to the periphery of the rotor in positions corresponding to contacts 35 and 36, then grinding the rotor to the desired diameter to expose sufcient contact surface along the periphery, and lnally polishing the periphery to make it extremely smooth.

lf, instead of selectively connecting a common contact to any desired one of the stator contacts, it is desired to normally connect all the contacts to the common contact and selectively break the circuit to various ones of the contacts 0 to 9, then the rotor shown in Fig. 7 is substituted for the rotor of Fig. 4. The rotor of Fig. 7 has a peripheral flange 60 of conducting material, which extends from an annular portion 63 by which it is secured to the rotor, and which extends across the edge of the rotor except for a small arc in which a segment 61 of nonconducting material is provided. The rotor is made of nonconducting material and is formed with a tongue 62, by which it is coupled to the sleeve of the rotor assembly. When this rotor is used, the circuit from the common contact C can be interrupted at any of the contacts 0 to 9 merely by positioning the segment 6l opposite the desired contact. As in the case of the rotor of Fig. 4, the conducting portions of the rotor of Fig. 7 can be made of beryllium copper, and the non-conducting portion can be molded from nylon. If desired, the flange 60 and the annular portion 63 of the rotor can he secured to the nonconducting portion in the molding operation when the non-conducting portion is molded, instead of being riveted to the non-conducting portion, as shown.

If it is desired to set two switching devices simultaneously, then the duplex or double-level switching device of Figs. 5 and 6 may be used.

In the duplex or double-level switch, two levels of contacts 65 and 66 are arranged in the stator 67, each level being similar to and containing the `same contact spacing as the contacts shown in Fig. 4. In order to reduce side spacing, one set of contacts is displaced fteen degrees with respect to the other set, as shown in Fig. 6, and this enables the two sets to be arranged more compactly.

The rotor assembly of the duplex switch lis substantially the same as that for the single-level switch, except that it has two rotors, 63 and 69, mounted in proper side-space relation on the sleeve 7 0 to cooperate with the contacts of their respective sets. The rotors may have any desired contact arrangement thereon, both may be as shown in Fig. 4 or as shown in Fig. 7, or one of each type may be used, depending on the particular type of switching that may be desired.

Since the sets of contacts 65 and 66 are displaced ifteen degrees in the stator, the tongue, as 44 and 62, on one of the rotors will have to be displaced fteen degrees in order to maintain the proper relation between the sets of stator contacts and their related rotor contacts and enable proper switching to be had `in the various switch positions.

While only single-level and double-level switches have been shown, it is obvious that additional levels can be provided, if desired, merely by incorporating further sets of contacts in the stator and by providing further rotors in the rotor assembly.

While the forms of mechanism shown and described herein are admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the forms or embodiments disclosed herein, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various other forms.

What is claimed is:

l. In a switching device, the combination of an annular stator; a rotor rotatable within the stator; a selector contact on the periphery of the rotor; means to rotate the rotor to set the selector contact to any desired one of a plurality of equi-angularly-spaced positions within the stator; a group of output contacts extending through the stator and engaging the periphery of the rotor, the contacts of said group being spaced about the stator to correspond to the several positions to which the selector contact may be set, so that a different one of the output contacts will be engaged by the selector contact in each of the set positions of the rotor; a group of further contacts on the periphery of the rotor which are electrically connected to the selector contact and spaced about the rotor with the same angular spacing as the output contacts but displaced with respect to the selector contact to clear other output contacts when the selector contact engages any one of the output contacts; and a common contact extending through the stator and engaging the periphery of the rotor and located in the stator at a position displaced from the output contacts to engage one of the group of further contacts on the rotor when the rotor has been set with its selector contact in any of said plurality of spaced positions, said common contact being connected, through various ones of the further group of contacts and the selector contact on the rotor, selectively to only the output contact with which the selector contact is engaged in the various positions of the rotor.

2. A switching device as claimed in claim l in which the stator contacts and rotor contacts are all in the same plane.

3. A switching device as claimed in claim 1 in which the group of further contacts on the rotor correspond in number to the output contacts.

4. In a switching device, the combination of an annular stator, a rotor rotatable within the annular stator and settable to a plurality of equi-angularly-spaced positions; a group of output contacts extending radially through the stator and engaging the periphery of the rotor, the contacts of said group being spaced about the stator to correspond to the several positions in which the rotor may be set; a common contact extending radially through the stator to engage the periphery of the rotor and olset with respect to the contacts of the group by one half the angular distance between adjacent contacts of the group; and a plurality of interconnected contacts in the periphery of `the rotor including a selector contact and a group of contacts, the angular positions of the contacts about the rotor corresponding to the angular positions of the contacts in the stator but displaced relatively thereto so that, when the selector contact on the rotor engages one of the output contacts of the group on the stator, one of the contacts of the group on the rotor will engage the common contact on the stator, whereby the common contact can be selectively connected to any desired one of the output contacts by the selective positioning of the rotor.

5. In a switching device, the combination of an annular stator; a plurality of spring-pressed contacts located in diterent angular positions about the stator and extending radially through the stator; a rotor assembly including a driving gear and a sleeve secured thereto, on which sleeve are mounted a retaining plate which engages one side of the stator, a ilat disk-shaped rotor coupled to the sleeve for rotation therewith to dilcrent angular positions within the stator, a second retainer plate which engages the other side of the stator, spacing means between the retainer plates and the rotor to aline the rotor with the contacts in the stator, and means to secure the second retainer plate in its position on the sleeve to maintain the several parts of the rotor assembly in their assembled position, said retaining plates maintaining the rotor assembly within the stator and, through the spacing means, maintaining the rotor in alinement with the contacts in the stator; contact means in the periphery of the rotor selectively cooperable with the contacts on the stator to interconnect various ones of the stator contacts; and means operating through the gear to set the rotor to any one of its angular positions in the stator.

6. In a switching device, the combination of an annular stator; a rotor rotatable within the annular stator and settable in thirty-degree increments to a plurality of equiangularly-spaced positions; a group of output contacts extending radially through the stator and engaging the periphery of the rotor, the contacts of said group being spaced thirty degrees apart about the stator to correspond to the several positions of the rotor; a common contact extending radially through the stator to engage the periphery of the rotor and displaced forty-five degrees with respect to the end contacts of the group; a plurality of interconnected contacts in the periphery of the rotor in cluding a selector contact and a group of contacts, the angular positions of the contacts about the rotor corresponding to the angular positions of the contacts in the stator but displaced relatively thereto so that, when the selector contact on the rotor engages one of the output contacts of the group on the stator, one of the contacts of the group on the rotor will engage the common contact on the stator and the other contacts will lie between the other output contacts on the stator, whereby the common contact can be selectively connected to any desired one of the output contacts by the selective positioning of the rotor in any of said positions.

7. In a duplex switching device, the combination of an annular stator; a pair of rotors rotatable within the annular stator and jointly settable to a plurality of equiangularly-spaced positions, the angle between adjacent positions being a degrees; a first set of contacts on the stator including a group of output contacts extending radially through the stator and engaging the periphery of one of the rotors, the contacts of said group being spaced about the stator by a degrees to correspond to the several positions to which the rotor may be set, and a common contact extending radially through the stator to engage the periphery of said one rotor and angularly displaced with respect to various contacts of the group by nat-j-l/za degrees, where n is zero or any whole number within the capacity of the stator; a second set of contacts located beside the first set in the stator, containing the same number and spacing of contacts as the first set but angularly displaced with respect to the rst set by l/za degrees and cooperable with the other rotor; and contact means in the periphery of each rotor cooperable with the contacts of lits related set of contacts in the stator to selectively interconnect the desired contacts of the sets in different positions of the rotors, the displacement of the sets of contacts angularly relative to each other enabling the sets of contacts to be more compactly arranged in the stator and enabling a smaller stator to be used.

8. In a duplex switching device, the combination of an annular stator; a pair of rotors rotatable within the annular stator and jointly settable to a plurality of equiangularly-spaced positions; a first set of contacts on the stator including a group of output contacts extending radially through the stator and engaging the periphery of one of the rotors, the contacts of said group being spaced about the stator to correspond to the several positions to which the rotor may be set, and a common contact extending radially through the stator to engage the periphery of said one rotor and offset with respect to the contacts of the group by one half the angular distance between adjacent contacts of the group; a second set of contacts located beside the first set in the stator, containing the same number and arrangement of contacts as the rst set but angularly displaced with respect to the first set by one half the angle between positions of-the rotor and cooperable with the other rotor; and a plurality of interconnected contacts in the periphery of each rotor including a selector contact and a group of contacts, the angular positions of the contacts about each rotor corresponding to the angular positions of the contacts in the related set in the stator but displaced relatively thereto so that, when the selector contacts on the rotors engage one of the output contacts of the group of its related set on the stator, one of the contacts of each group on the rotors will engage the common contact of its related set on the stator, whereby the common contacts of the sets can be selectively connected to the output contacts of their related sets by the selective positioning of the rotors. y

9. In a duplex switching device, the combination of an annular stator; two sets of contacts located in side-byside relation in the stator, each set of contacts including t a plurality of spring-pressed contacts located in diiterent angular positions about the stator and extending radially through the stator, one set of contacts being olset with respect to the other to allow the sets to be positioned more closely in the stator; a rotor assembly including a driving gear and a sleeve secured thereto, on which sleeve are 3 v mounted a retaining plate which engages one side of the stator, a at disk-shaped rotor related to each set of contacts in the stator and coupled to the sleeve for rotation therewith to dilerent angular positions Within the stator, a second retainer plate which engages the other side of the stator, and spacing means between the retainer plates and the rotors to aline the rotors with their related sets of contacts in thestator, said retaining plates maintaining the rotor assembly within the stator and the rotors in proper alinement with their sets of contacts; contact means in the periphery of the rotors selectively cooperable with the contacts of their related sets on the stator to interconnect various ones of the stator contacts; and means operating through the gear to set the rotors to correspondl5 ing ones of their angular positions in the stator.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

